Canned baked beans have nothing on this flavor rich recipe.
This recipe below is more Southern than Boston Baked Beans, sweeter, and will make the best baked beans you’ve ever had, certain to wow your guests. OK, I know there’s a lotta stuff in this recipe, but when you consider that baked beans are really a stew, and stews get complexity from, well, stewing, I say the more stuff, the merrier. The important thing is that it’s quick and easy to assemble. Lotsa stuff, little fuss. Besides, nothing that has bacon in it can be bad.
There is an alternative prep, and a lot of rib joints make their BBQ beans this way: They take the unsold ribs from yesterday, scrape the meat off the bone, and use it instead of the bacon. Some even add scraps from their other meats. The best rib joints put their bean pans under the meat in their smokers and let the drippings fall into the stew bringing with them flavor from the rub seasonings, fat, and smoke. This is a great technique, but it is easy to over smoke them, so leave them in the smoker for only 2 to 3 hours on your first try.
If you are from Texas or South Carolina or New Orleans, you might not like these beans because they are sweet. That’s the way the rest of the nation likes beans. Sorry. You need to try my recipe for Grannie’s Texas Beans or Hoppin’ John or Red Beans & Rice.
Speaking of rice, Hoppin John and Red Beans & Rice are excellent examples of how well beans go with rice. For a surprise, serve this recipe with white rice. This recipe is certain to become a favorite BBQ and grilling side dish.
Bourbon Barbecue Baked Beans Recipe
Makes:
Takes:
Ingredients
- 6 strips thick cut bacon
- 2 medium onions
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 jalapeño (skip if you don't like heat)
- 45 ounces white kidney beans (three 15-ounce (425-gram cans))
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 3/4 cup Kansas City style BBQ sauce
- 4 tablespoons molasses, any grade
- 1/4 cup Kentucky Bourbon or Tennessee whiskey
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
About the peppers. Substitute poblanos for bell peppers. Richer flavor and a little heat. About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works. Optional add-ins. Add 1 teaspoon American chili powder or ancho powder and/or 1 teaspoon rosemary leaves (not powder). Add 1 tart apple such as Granny Smith or Jonathan, peeled, cubed, and add it with the whiskey.
These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page
Method
- Prep. Coarsely chop the onions, bell pepper, and jalapeño (or opt to leave the jalapeño out if you don't like heat). Drain and rinse the can of beans.
- Cook the bacon. Make sure you are using a 2 quart (1.9 L) or larger pot or Dutch oven. Cook the bacon over a medium heat. When it begins to brown, flip it, brown the other side, but remove it before it renders all its fat and gets hard. We want bacon that we can cut, not crumble. You will probably need to do the bacon in two batches. And what the heck, go ahead and cook an extra slice or two for the cook to eat when nobody is watching. Drain the bacon by putting it on 2 layers of paper towels on top of a section of the local newspaper. When it is cool enough to handle, chop it into bite-sized chunks.
- Pour off the bacon fat into a coffee cup leaving behind about 2 tablespoons and most of the brown bits dissolved in the fat. When the fat in the cup begins to cool, but before it hardens, move it to a plastic tub and store it in the fridge. You can use this later for cooking onions or veggies. Nothing perks up broccoli like bacon fat!
- Add the onions and peppers to the pot and cook them until they wilt. If the bacon bits stuck to the bottom start to get too dark, add an ounce of water and they will dissolve promptly with the help of a wooden or silicone spoon.
- Add 3 cups (709.8 ml) of hot water or stock and everything else including the bacon. There are four good ways to cook these beans:On your grill/smoker. If you have a smoker, put them below the meat for about 2 to 3 hours at 225°F (107.2°C). They will collect flavorful, smoky drippings from the meat laden with seasoning from the rub. Just be sure they don't burn.In your oven. Put the pot in your oven uncovered for 2 hours at 225°F (107.2°C). Stir every 30 minutes to make sure they don't burn. On the stovetop. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and then turn it back to simmer for 30 minutes without a lid. Stir and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes to prevent burning and sticking. Try to keep the bay leaf submerged. In a slow cooker. Set it to medium, which should be about 250°F (121.1°C) and check them in about 2 hours./tested-recipes/beans-recipes/science-beans
- Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the flavors as you see fit. If you like it spicier, add hot sauce. Add more molasses if you like it sweeter, or salt if you think it needs it. Cook it longer if you want it thicker, or add water if you want it thinner.
- Serve. Serve the baked beans immediately while still hot.
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